REVIEW: ‘Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii’ Episode 2 — “Let Me Express My Sincerity, and Maybe Earn Your Affection in the Process”

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 finally kicks things up and is much more exciting than the first episode in several ways. The dynamic between our two leads is turned on its head, and more details about them are revealed in highly engaging ways.

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 begins with Yoshino trying to avoid Kirishima at school. She briefly complains about the loss of her kidney to herself, proving she did sell her kidney in the last episode. However, much to her dismay, Kirishima finds her and reveals that he found her by placing a GPS tracker on one of her devices. Kirishima notably acts more clingy, pushy, and loving to Yoshino than his usual standoffish demeanor toward her. This is likely because the previous episode ended with him discovering his affection for her.

Kirishima tells Yoshino that his grandfather has something important to tell both of them and that they must attend a meeting after school. After the opening credits, the two arrive at the meeting but find his grandfather busy, so two associates hold it instead. They tell Yoshino and Kirishima that the daughter of Akaza Enterprise’s president has gone missing.

Akaza Enterprise is one of the branches of the clan the Miyama group belongs to, so the family not only has to find the daughter but also fears that Yoshino could be a target. As such, they tell Yoshino that she must stick to Kirishima every hour of each day. This unsurprisingly upsets her, but Kirishima tells her not to worry and invites her to dinner to discuss the situation and address her questions.

During their dinner, Kirishima introduces Yoshino to new cuisine and fawns over her again. Yoshino responds by telling him there’s no chance of her falling in love with him while realizing how threatening he is even when he is being nice. He then tells her details about the missing girl, Akaza Shiori, her personality, background, and how they briefly met. Most importantly, he shows a picture of her with her two distinct tattoos.

\Kirishima then tells Yoshino that they are unlikely to be targeted because he is not patriarch Miyama’s grandson and is his grand-nephew. He also reveals that he only became a Yakuza member at a young age because he had no other choice without elaborating further, and this revelation shocks Yoshino.

This scene further proves that despite Kirishima’s seemingly growing feelings for Yoshino, she is not as interested as he is. This also means that she may go ahead with her grandfather’s plan of getting him to fall in love with her after a year of leaving him.

After their conversation in Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2, Kirishima reveals that one of the Akaza Enterprise men has been found dead. He tells Yoshino that the associate was running an underground gambling den and worked his way up as a racketeer boss. He used to gamble with Akaza Shiori, which is how he was introduced to the Yakuza family. Kirishima then teaches Yoshino about the intricacies of the several turfs that belong to several crime families.

The next scene shows Yoshino, accompanied by one of Kirishima’s associates, on an errand to get a new hairdryer. He reveals some information about Kirishima and tells Yoshino that Kirishima joined the Miyama family after getting in trouble for a violent altercation when he was just twelve. His family could not handle the repercussions, so his great-uncle had to step in, and he joined the family as payment.

Yoshino is shocked to hear this news and starts to feel bad for him. However, before the scene ends, she finds Shiori by spotting her tattoos and sees her going into a club. She immediately calls Kirishima, and the two decide to follow her. But before Kirishima leaves, we learn that his grandfather is aware of the situation but is unconcerned about his safety and whether or not he dies while chasing after Shiori.

The two arrive at the location in Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 and eavesdrop on Shiori’s conversation with her friends. She reveals that she and her previously mentioned deceased associate were cheating in gambling, which cost the Filipino mafia five hundred million yen. This led to the associate’s death, and Shiori and her dad had to go into hiding. Kirishima enters and tells Shiori he’ll take her to the Miyama office.

This, of course, doesn’t go well, and a physical altercation occurs between Kirishima and Shiori’s goons, with Yoshino getting slightly hurt in the process. This enrages Kirishima, and he dispatches almost all of them alone with a bit of help from Yoshino, who once again proves that she’s tougher than she looks.

Afterward, Kirishima reveals the next day at school that he was punished for making trouble in a rival group’s turf and that the Akaza president was exiled due to his daughter’s actions. He also received ten million yen as a cut to recover Shiori and the stolen money, which he offered to Yoshino. She refuses the money but tells him to accompany her to get a new hair dryer, as her last one broke during the fight. Right before the episode ends, Kirishima spots someone looking at them, and they seem to recognize each other.

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 does a great job of fleshing out the narrative behind its characters and entertaining viewers. We learn more about Kirishima’s past and circumstances and the dynamic between Yakuza groups. It also shows the new partnership between the two leads. This new dynamic is the very typical reluctant girl and over-enthusiastic boy relationship seen in many romance anime, which is a bit disappointing. However, the dynamic has the potential to change in the future, and coupled with the introduction of another mysterious character, there is a lot to look forward to.

Production-wise, Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 still features great animation from Studio DEEN. This is chiefly seen in Yoshino’s many odd facial expressions and the one exciting combat scene. The episode also notably flexes the anime’s great soundtrack with some exciting tracks heard in its explosive moments.

Overall, Yakuza Fiancé Episode 2 simultaneously provides excellent entertainment and narrative progression. The many revelations also gives viewers an excuse to be excited for the next episode.